After Asteroid Impact, life recovered after some years

In discovery, the researchers have found a 66 million years ago asteroid, which is a city-sized space rock which was hit the Gulf of Mexico and has killed nearly 75 percent of life on Earth which includes the dinosaurs.

The team of researchers which have drilled a rock core into the Chicxulub Crater. This is the place where the asteroid fell in last 66 million years ago. When they went deeper they showed that test model of the impossibly jello-like behaviour of the bedrock which is during the impact, and there was also the presence of the sedimentary rocks which are present on the top, and they are formed after the collision.

As per the new evidence, it shows that within few years of the impact, the life has bounced back in the Earth and the first organisms are small worm-like creatures which are already burrowing in the silty seafloor at the crater. This study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.

The result of the study came after analyzing the cores of the impact rocks for two years. According to the Christopher Lowery, who is the geologist of the University of Texas at Austin and also led the study said that it was surprising to find it was not hostile to life and the recovery of the life was too fast.

The researcher’s findings are surprising and depicted as Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction or K/Pg. All the textbooks which describe the global firestorm and toxic fallout are the main reasons behind the elimination of the life due to blocking of photosynthesis by the pollution, nuclear winter and climate change. In this study, they have shown that increased carbon dioxide levels would have spiked global temps and they have increased the temperature by 9 degrees Fahrenheit for 300,000 years.

The authors of the paper said that the researchers don’t need to contradict findings and it shows that once the initial dust settled, the survivors have almost spread into the new environments and they have taken advantage of the changed conditions and lack of competition. As per Lowery, the killing mechanisms are quick, and they are gone.

The shape of the crater also played an important role as one side opens up to the deeper ocean water and the other side allowed all the vital nutrients to flow to the crater and thus provides a food supply chain for organisms.

Bernadette Peterson was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. As a journalist, Bernadette has contributed to NPR News Blog, Outdoor Magazine, and many other publications. In regards to academics, Bernadette earned a degree in business degree from A&N and earned her master's degree at the University of Florida. Bernadette covers local news and culture stories here at United News Desk.

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